Affordable Care Act & Health Insurance Marketplace: Overviews

What Is the Affordable Care Act?

This short, animated movie explains the problems with the current health care system, the changes that are happening now, and the big changes coming in 2014. Written and produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Narrated by Cokie Roberts, a news commentator for ABC News and NPR and a member of Kaiser's Board of Trustees. Creative production and animation by Free Range Studios. 9 minutes.

How Will You Get Health Coverage?

Join the YouToons as they walk through the basic changes in the way Americans will get health coverage and what it will cost starting in 2014, when major parts of the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare," go into effect. This cartoon was written and produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Charlie Gibson, former anchor of ABC's World News with Charlie Gibson and a member of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, narrated the video. Creative production and animation was provided by Free Range Studios. 7 minutes.

La Reforma Del Cuidado De La Salud Llega al Público

(Spanish Version) This short, animated movie explains the problems with the current health care system, the changes that are happening now, and the big changes coming in 2014. Written and produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Narrated by Cokie Roberts, a news commentator for ABC News and NPR and a member of Kaiser's Board of Trustees. Creative production and animation by Free Range Studios. 10 minutes.

Health Insurance Marketplace

North Carolina elected not to create a state specific insurance marketplace. Residents in North Carolina will use this federal site beginning October 1, 2013 to choose and enroll in a health insurance plan. It is important to note that 36 states in total are sending their residents to this federal marketplace, so there may be delays depending on the amount of traffic to the site. Also see the Spanish version.

Get personal help applying for health coverage by entering a City and State or Zip Code.

How the Health Insurance Marketplace Will Work

The video provides an overview of how the Health Insurance Marketplace works, what it means for consumers and individuals, who is eligible to enroll, and how programs for people with limited incomes work. Produced by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 46 minutes.

More Overviews

Facts about the Affordable Care Act with educational fact sheets from AARP's department of Education & Outreach. Many of these resources are also available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog.

Enroll America is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to maximize the number of uninsured Americans who enroll in health coverage made available by the Affordable Care Act. Enroll America is a collaborative organization, working with partners that span the gamut of health coverage stakeholders—health insurers, hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, employers, consumer groups, faith-based organizations, civic organizations, and philanthropies—to engage many different voices in support of an easy, accessible, and widely available enrollment process